Meat Lover’s Minestrone

I’ve always loved Minestrone. The word is Italian and describes itself perfectly: “thick soup.” I like it as an appetizer when it’s the traditional lighter vegetable soup. If I want it for a full meal, I like to add little meat balls to it which makes it more hearty. So I created Meat Lovers Minestrone, made with ground chuck and all the vegetables contained in a traditional Minestrone. I also use Kosher salt, because it has less sodium per teaspoon than regular salt.

In my family we don’t wait for winter to eat soup, because it’s nutritional and so easy to make. My theory is if you have to cook, might as well make it something really nutritious! Chopping and cooking the meatballs are about all you need to do, the rest of the creation takes care of itself, just simmering, once you have it all together. I serve this soup with a warm, crusty Artisan bread. I follow the meal with a luscious dessert like my old-fashioned chocolate cake, or if I haven’t baked that day, if it’s summer, I may substitute some fresh fruit or melon to finish.

When I’m serving my family or a large group of people, I bring a steaming tureen of soup to the table and allow everyone to serve themselves. I use a bread basket with a warming stone to keep bread warm during the meal. My soup bowls are basic white, so that the colors of the soup show up well. Part of the enjoyable experience of eating are the ways we set the table, and the colors we see. Minestrone is a colorful soup with all the vegetables and beans and needs no other adornment. See various tureens and bowls at the bottom of this page.

Sponsor

Archives

Archives

Sponsor

Sponsor

All Things of Life

“Nancy Hardin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to All Things of Life.com.”